Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1887-12-15

WASHINGTON, d. c., Dec. 7.-At to
T days session of the conference Of WOO
. growers and wool dealers of tie United
> States, called by the president of tht
National Association Of Wool Growers
the following was unanimously adopted
The wool dealers and wool grower:
of the United States, representing {
capital OF over S5OO,oOO,O0O and a con-
stituency of million wool growers and
wool dealers, assembled in conference
in the city of Washington the 7th day
of December, 1887, having read the first
annual message of the President to the
Fiftieth Congress, declare that the SEN
timents Of the message are direct at
tack upon their industry, one Of the
most important of the country, and in
positive violation of the national Dem
ocratic platform of 1884, as interpreted
by the party leaders and accepted by
the rark and file of the party; that the
argument made By the President for
the removal of our protection against
foreign competitor is the old one, re-
peatedly made by the enemies of our
industrial progress, and effectively an
swered in nearly every school district
of our land, and SO thoroughly disprov-
ed by the logic of facts and demonstra-
tion of experience and history as to
need no answer from us.
We acknowledge that our "small hold
ings," our scattered and unorganized
condition makes US the easy prey of the
free trader, but we had right to ex-
pect something different from the Chief
Executive of the nation at once the
most happy, prosperous, and contented
of any Of the world, made so by poll
cy of protection and development which
he now seeks to destroy. We had a
right to expect our President would IA
vor the wool growers of the United
States, and confess our deep disappoint-
ment that instead be favors theinterests
of our foreign competitors.
Justly alarmsd at his position, We
make al appeal from his recommenda-
tion to all the people, to the seven and
three-fourths millions of our fellow cit
liens engaged in agricultural pursuits,
to the millions engaged in manufactur
ing, to the army of wage earners, whose
prosperity depends upon ours, confident
that the judgment and decision will be
based upon justice and patriotism, and
therefore for the maintenance of the
American policy of protection to which
the country is indebted for its unexam-
pied development and prosperity.
To demonstrate the injustice of the
Presidents policy and the fallacy OF
the remedy he proposes for the reduc-
ton of the surplus, We point to the fact
that if the whole amount of the'revenue
derived from wool was abolished it
would reduce the surplus only abont
five millions or less than 10 cents per
capita of the population, which is paid
by foreigners, while the old war taxes
he recommends retained yield over
one hundred and nineteen millions and
is direct tax per capita of two dollars
each, and what makes up the great bulk
of the surplus of one hundred and forty
millions, and which fosters most dan
gerous monopoly.
We would further add the following
statistics in regard to the wool industry
The annual revenue derived from i'm
ports of wool under the tariff Of 1867
was less than S1,700OOO. Under the
reduced tariff of 1883, the revenue last
year was over five millions. The num-
ber of sheep in the country in 1884
was 50,626,626, in 1887, 44,759,314, de-
crease of nearly six millions and dim
mutton of the annual wool product Of
over 35,000,00O pound, thus showing
that reducing the tariff by the act of
1888 has increased the revenue from i'm
ported woods and diminished the num-
Der of sheep in the United States about
II per cent. and the annual product in
the same proportion.
The Presidents policy would bring
about the destruction of this industry.
and the same policy of reduction or alb
clifton of the tariff would end in disas-
ter to all the other industrial produc-
tive enterprises of the country.